


how do you tell?

by Nyodrite



Series: Ideas [10]
Category: Naruto
Genre: I solemnly swear I have no fucking idea what I am doing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 12:41:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16137461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyodrite/pseuds/Nyodrite
Summary: i amweeeeaaaakalso.here, have an ambiguously gendered si!Sasuke





	how do you tell?

Gender Identity had never been a pressing concern.

It was something to be aware of, certainly, as misgendering someone was a shitty thing to do. It could also be interesting in the way that people could sometimes be interesting, even while they’re utterly  _baffling_. But the awareness was in a distant sort of way, with nothing more pressing - or, rather, nothing more  _intimate_ then occasionally being a sympathetic ear to a friend. The question of gender and self identity had never been asked, had never  _needed_ to be ask because it had never been a personal concern.

Now, looking into the mirror at the face of an eight year old boy with the mind of a twenty year old  _girl_ , the question presented itself.

_Am I a girl or a boy — or neither?_ How  _do you tell?_

This all, of course, took a back seat to the fact that  _Sasuke Uchiha_ was the face in the mirror. Gender Identity mattered a bit less than waking up in the body of a fictional character, in a hospital located in a fictional world after said fictional character had experienced the most traumatic event possible.

_What the fuck, how the fuck_ and  _why the fuck_ were all more pressing questions. And even  _those_ questions were to be set aside when the soft click of the door opening drew attention.

The Sandaime Hokage would have been recognizable even had he not been in the Hokage robes. As it was, the image he made was terribly nostalgic from the time when  _Naruto_  had still been a new anime When he spoke, however, it was different than any voice actor that was haphazardly recalled. “It is good to see you up, Sasuke-kun. You've worried quite a few people when you didn't wake up.”

_How the fuck do I understand you_ warred with  _what the hell am I supposed to say._  In the end, no words were spoken and the only response was a blank stare.

“This is a terrible tragedy,” the Hokage went on after a beat. “We can only be grateful that  _someone_ survived.”

Again words did not come, even though there was a singular question that begged to be asked. Or, at least, the words did not come  _verbally_ — it was a simple thing, even if  _how can I write I don't know this language_ hovered, to write the question down after a few moments of wordless charades to actually  _get_  writing things.

**Did no one else survive?**  was written first but just  _seeing_  it prompted another question immediately so  **When is the funeral?**  was written down also before the paper was handed off to the man.

The Hokage look old all of a sudden, ancient and tired in a way that even  _great-grandparents_ had never been. There was sorrow, also, along with empathy — and something that seemed almost like guilt lurking behind everything else. When he spoke, though, his voice was completely level, “You are the only one, the  _last_ Uchiha. As for the funerals...I am sorry to say that you missed them - you have been in a coma for a little over a week. The bodies have all been cremated and their ashes buried.”

**Thank you**  the words come less because they are  _felt_  and more because they seem to be expected, more genuine words follow after.  **When can I leave?**

“That will depend on Hayashi-sensei,” the man answered. “Once my visit comes to a close, he will be in to give you a checkup and depending on the results you might be able to leave.” The Hokage sat down, then, and asked a question that had been somewhat dreaded since his arrival. “Now, Sasuke-kun, please tell me everything you can about that night.”

**The sky was red.**  

******People kept just** ** _dying_** **.**  

**Author's Note:**

> you know, i actually made a d&d-style character sheet for this? i even made a few rolls while writing. like noticing the Hokage coming in the room instead of being surprised
> 
> alSO! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT IS TO WRITE THIS WITH NO SPECIFIED GENDER FOR THE PERSON WHOSE POV IT IS? _WITHOUT IT BEING FIRST PERSON?_ fucking hell i hate everything. but goddammit i wanted this, for gender identity to be a theme here - for the main character to not know, right off the bat, what they identify as and question it until they eventually settle on what feels right
> 
> ~~i also want ninjas to play d &d but that's a bit less meaningful~~


End file.
